Ice Cream Syndrome
by AlexMontgomery
Summary: Having just gotten her Trainers License, Hilary embarks on her own adventure. But things get complicated when she meets the enigmatic N, and the anti-Trainer group, Team Plasma. Suddenly, it's not just getting the badges, but choosing between right and wrong. Seeing from a different point of view. And seeing the shades of grey in a two-sided argument. N/OC Cheren/Bianca
1. Chapter One

**Authors Note:** I innitally wanted to get this out before Black2 and White2 was relesed in Japan. But, eh, a little after, close enough. Future chapters probably won't be as long, I just couldn't find a good place to break it in two. I kinda works better this way.

**Disclamer:** I do not own Pokemon in any way shape or form, or anything else assosiated with Nintendow. Nor do I own the song this story is named after

* * *

**Chapter One**

"Good lucky, honey!"

"Delcatty!"

"Thanks mom!" the brown haired teen shouted, running down the dirt road. "I'll be back for lunch!"

The woman leaned against the doorframe. Her brown hair, the same shade as her daughter's, draped over her shoulders. "I think they're gonna make it," she said.

"Catty!" the cat-Pokémon at her side said, with a nod of the head.

The girl's camera bag beat against her side as she ran down the roads of Nuvema Town. She was dress in her school uniform, and wore a black and magenta baseball cap, backwards.

_I'm Hilary Sanders, age fifteen. Today I'm supposed to meet up with my friends before we take our trainers license exam. For the time being, it's just my mom and me living in our house in Nuvema Town. Oh! And mom's partner, Delcatty. _

_My mom, Clara is originally from the Hoenn Region. She was a top Pokémon Coordinator in her day. She moved to the Unova Region after she married Dad, David Sanders. He's an archeologist, currently in Kanto, studying a recent find. My older sister, Jerri, is currently away in Almia as a Pokémon Ranger, she just graduated from the Ranger School a little while ago._

Hilary pulled herself to a stop, she leaned over, her hands rested against her legs. Why did the school have to be so far away? As it was every year, the trainers exam took place in the high school, students were usually required to wear their uniform as proof of being a student, while adults just needed a photo ID. Hilary never really understood that, but she wasn't about to complain, especially if she passed.

Five years, and her parents finally allowed her to do this. She understood it, to a point, but still, _five years_. Awful long time to wait for something she really wanted. Cheren was often unbearable at this time of the year in the past.

"Unfez-ant!" she heard.

"Huh?"

Hilary's brown eyes looked up at the roof of the public library, to find an Unfezant, a girl, from the looks of it, and it's baby Pidove. The Unfezant hopped off the roof and flapped her wings. Perhaps she was teaching her little one to fly? The two bird-Pokémon shrilled their names. Slowly, the little Pidove flapped it's tiny wings. The small Pokémon lifted off the roof, hovering a few inches in the air.

A smile crossed Hilary's face. Quickly, she reached for her camera bag, and pulled out the grey camera inside. She aimed it at the two bird Pokémon. 'Please come out right,' Hilary prayed, pressing the button down.

The bird-Pokémon were gone by the time Hilary lowered her camera. "Better have gotten it," she sighed. "Can't try again…"

She looked down at the small screen on the back of her camera to see an image of Pidove flying off the roof, to it's mother. "Can't wait to show this to Bianca," Hilary said, placing the object back in it's bag. "She'll love it."

The brown haired girl took off running again. Her light blue skirt flounced with each step, her short, layered hair bounced, and camera beat against her body. Hilary finally caught up with Cheren about a block away from their school. "Hey, Cheren," Hilary greeted.

"Good morning," Cheren said, with a slight smile.

Cheren was a bit taller than Hilary, actually Hilary was the shortest out of the trio. He had short black hair, and dark eyes that were currently shield by a pair of glasses. He wore his school uniform, consisting light blue khaki pants, and a white, short sleeved button down shirt. The standard summer uniform for male students. "Where's Bianca?" Hilary asked.

"Late," Cheren grumbled, crossing his arm's over his chest.

"He-ey!" Bianca shouted, running up to the pair.

She was a flighty girl with short, blonde hair, and green eyes. Her uniform was identical to Hilary's. A sleeveless button down shirt, and a light blue skirt, with white knee socks. "You're late," Cheren grumbled.

"Just by a little," Bianca chuckled weakly.

"What does it matter, Cheren?" Hilary argued. "We're a little early anyway. We're not going to be grades on attendance."

"But they won't let us in, if we're late," Cheren argued.

"Bianca," Hilary said, taking her camera out of it's pouch. "Take a look at the picture I just took."

With a bold smile, Bianca skipped to Hilary's side, and glanced down at the image on the camera. "Didn't you hear what I just said!" Cheren snapped.

"Yeah," the brown haired teen said. "But it's like I said, we're early. It won't hurt to kill a few minutes."

_In Unova, like other regions, you need to get your Pokémon Trainer's License before you can have a Pokémon of your own, and train. The applicant's, of course, must be ten or older. But, that still doesn't mean your parents _have_ to let their ten-year-old child go out on their journey alone._

_That is the case for me and Cheren. Our parents didn't want us to begin training until we were a little older. We waited until all of our parents agreed that we were old enough. Bianca… her mom was always on board with the idea, but her dad…_

_So, in short, Cheren was a little more than impatient about all this._

"Aw!" Bianca squealed. "So cute!"

"Isn't it?" Hilary beamed. "They left as soon as the picture was taken, I was worried it wouldn't come out right."

"Yeah, I get what you mean. I can imagine how difficult it is to take pictures of living things."

Cheren sighed. "Let's just go."

_Cheren and I have been friends since we were in diapers. Partially because our mom's befriended each other during their pregnancies. Bianca and her family moved to the neighborhood when we were five. When we were ten, we agreed to get our license together and start our journey at the same time._

"Cheren, Bianca, and Hilary," Mrs. Katada, their teacher from the previous school year, said as they entered the classroom. Hilary removed her hat, and laced it onto the strap of her camera bag. "Right on time. Please take a packet, and pencil each. Take your seat, we'll begin shortly."

The room was mostly filled with ten-year-old children. Each seated in one of the classroom desks. "I feel so out of place," Cheren mumbled.

Hilary took her seat at one of the desks in the back corner of the room. "All right," Mrs. Katada said, standing herself up. "You have an hour to fill out the exam. After that we'll have a thirty minute recess. Understood? You may start."

Hilary flipped the first page of the packet and filled out her name. She was fairly confidant that she knew what she was doing. Five years to study for this test, she had a pretty good grip on how Pokémon trading worked. That was probably the upside to waiting five years for this test, extra time to wait, mean extra years to study.

She finished her exam with five minutes to spare. The minutes ticked by agonizingly slow. Then there was another half-hour to get the results back. 'Why do I get the feeling Cheren finished sooner than I did?' Hilary found herself thinking.

"All right," Katada said, standing from her desk. She walked down the aisle of desks, and collected the packet's. "Return here in thirty minutes, and I'll have the scores of your test back."

A loud sigh escaped several lips of the children, Bianca and Hilary included.

* * *

"All things considered, it was relatively easy," Cheren said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

He stood outside the school building with Bianca and Hilary. Cheren leaned against a wooden fence that bordered the school yard. Hilary sat on "Yeah, as far as tests go, it wasn't that bad," Bianca nodded.

Hilary snorted. "Well, we had five years to prepare for this."

"Oh! What time were we supposed to come over?"

"Huh?"

"Your mom invited us over for lunch," Cheren explained. "She didn't tell you?"

"Guess not," Hilary shrugged. "How much longer do we have to wait?"

The black haired teen looked down at his wristwatch. "Another ten minutes," he sighed.

"I'm thirsty," said Bianca.

"I'll get something," the burunette said, standing herself up. "I could use a drink too."

"Thanks," the blond smiled. She pulled out her wallet and dug around for a few coins. "A lemonade, please."

"Sure. Cheren, you want anything?"

"Nah," the boy shook his head. "I'm good."

"Right. I'll be back in a moment."

The good thing was that there was a vending machine in the back of the school by the basketball court. By the time she got there, got the drinks, and made it back to Cheren and Bianca, Katada should have been done with the test scores.

Hilary sang to herself, under her breath. She felt pretty confident that the three of them passed, especially after all the hours of studying. Though, she got the feeling Bianca didn't have that bravado. "Well," the brown haired teen said, cradling a can of lemonade and soda in her right arm. "It'll all before soon enough."

"Zoro…" she heard from behind her.

She turned herself around to find the fox Pokémon, Zoroark standing in the basketball court. 'No way!' Hilary thought with a smile. 'An actual Zoroark!'

It _had_ to be a trainers. _Had to. _You did not find Zoroark, or it's pre-evolved form, Zorua roaming around in Nuvema Town, or Route 1. Hilary wasn't sure where you could find Zorua or Zoroark in Unova. So, logically speaking, it was a trainers.

With her free hand, Hilary took out her camera and snapped a photo of Zoroark. Happily, she slid it back into it's pouch. She half-jogged back to the front of the school, the scores had to be done by now.

Zoroark watched, as the person who took his picture ran off, carrying the drinks in her arms. The sound of a ball bouncing off the pavement caused his ears to twitch. Turning around, he found his friend dribbling a basketball. "Zoroark?" it said.

"Curiosity actually got the better of me," his friend said, his eyes on the ball. "I wanted to see what a place like this was like."

He suddenly guided the ball to the hoop at the far end of the court. It fell in with nothing but air.

* * *

Bianca had locked arms with Hilary as they half-jogged down the road. All three of them past the test, with Cheren being the highest score. After going over scores the applicants who past got their picture taken, filled out a little information, and got their trainers license. "Hilary," Cheren said, as the three were about to part to their own house. "Can you tell you're mom I'll be there soon enough? I just want to change out of my uniform."

"Yeah, me too," Bianca said nodding. "I'll see you guy's later."

"See you."

"Bye."

Hilary ran all the way back home. Opening the front door she found her mom in the kitchen, making fettuccine alfredo, with warm rolls. "Mom, I got my license!" the girl said, entering the kitchen.

"That's great," Clara said, glancing over her shoulder. "Bianca and Cheren, too?"

"Yup!"

"I knew the three of you could. I take it they went to tell their parents and change?"

"Yeah," Hilary said, walking to the flight of stairs. "I'm gonna go change myself."

"All right," Clara said with a knowing smile.

The brunette rushed up the stairs and walked down the hall to her bedroom with a quickened pace. Jerri's bedroom remained the same since she's been gone, though it was gathering dust. Hilary had to assume the same was happening to David's side of the bed.

With an exaggerated sigh, Hilary opened her bedroom door. To her surprise, there was a wrapped package on her work desk. "Mom!" she called, projecting her voice as well as she could. "What's with the package?"

"It's from Professor Juniper!" Clara responded. "There's a starter Pokémon in there for you, Cheren, and Bianca!"

"Oh," Hilary muttered, surprised.

She knew they would have to get their starter from Professor Juniper, the region's Pokémon professor, but Hilary thought it would have been in a day or so. But the day of? Was it because they were older than most of the participants? Or did the Professor want something?

Looking in the mirror, Hilary readjusted her hat. She was now wearing a white tank top, with a black vest that reached the end of her bosom. She had on a pair of short, denim shorts. On her feet were black and magenta high top sneakers that matched her backwards hat. On each wrist was a black band with a magenta ring that circled around it an inch under the lining. Around her waist was a black belt with a camera pouch on the side. Her camera was snug inside it's pouch.

"I heard from my mom," Cheren said, suddenly bursting into her room. He now wore a white and red shirt, and a blue coat. "We can have Pokémon? _Today?_"

"What made you so sure I was decent right now?" Hilary asked, giving Cheren a come-hither look.

Stuttering, Cheren's face turned red. His friend threw her head back and laughed. Of course he knew she was joking. But, that didn't make it any less embarrassing. "Where's Bianca?" the brunette asked.

"Late," the black haired boy said bluntly, his blush was slowly fading. "What's keeping her?"

"Am I a little late again," the sweet voice of Bianca, asked, suddenly entering the room. She was now dressed in white and orange, with a green hat on her head. "So-orry!"

"Bianca," Cheren began, his arm's folded over his chest. "I've known for years that you have no sense of time, but… seriously!"

"I know," Bianca said, fiddling with her fingers. "Sorry Hilary, sorry Cheren."

"Don't worry about it, Bianca," said Hilary. "We didn't know we'd be getting our Pokémon until we got home."

" So, where's the Pokémon?"

"In here," said Hilary, gesturing to the box on her desk. "So, who chooses first?"

"Well," began Bianca. "They where delivered to Hilary's place first, so it's fitting that Hilary chooses first."

"Is that fine with you, Cheren?" Hilary asked her level-headed friend.

"Go ahead," the boy said with a slight gesture of his head.

Hilary lifted the lid from the box to find a note, and three Pokéballs inside. Rested beside the Pokéballs were tags reading 'Snivy,' 'Oshawott,' and 'Tepig.' The three starters of the Unova Region. Hilary picked up to note to read it.

'_I've brought three Pokémon,'_ the note read.  
'_One for you and one for each of your friends.  
__Please settle your choices politely.  
__Enjoy your Pokémon!  
__- Professor Juniper' _

Hilary reached her hand inside the box. Her fingers twitched slightly before wrapping her hand around the ball by the 'Oshawott' tag. She pressed down on the button. A bright light broke through as the ball opened. When the light died down a small blue and white Pokémon. "Oshawott!" the water Pokémon smiled.

"Aw! It's so cute!" Bianca squealed, rushing up to the desk. She reached into the box and wrapped her hand around the second Pokéball by the 'Tepig' tag. "Alright, I'll take this one!"

She opened the ball to reveal an orange and black pig Pokémon, Tepig. "Ohmigosh!" Bianca squealed, wrapping her arms around Tepig. "I love you already! We're gonna be the best of friends, I can tell."

"Te-pig!" it sang.

"Great," Cheren smiled slightly as he grabbed the last Pokéball. "I wanted a Snivy from the start, anyway."

"So, that it?" Hilary asked, scratching Oshawott behind it's small ear.

"Oh, I know!" Bianca said, smiling boldly. "Let's have a Pokémon battle!"

"In my room?" Hilary exclaimed.

"Yeah, why not?"

"Honestly, Bianca," Cheren groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Even though they're still weak Pokémon, you shouldn't have battles inside a house."

"Don't be a worrywart," Bianca smiled, waving her hands slightly. "These little one's are weak, like you said."

"What's this I hear about a battle?" Clara said, entering the room with two plates of warm alfredo and rolls in each hand. Delcatty traveled close beside her, balancing a third plate on it's head.

"U-Uh, n-nothing, Mrs. Sanders!" Cheren said quickly.

"Don't worry about it, kids," Hilary's mom said, placing the plates on the table beside the empty package. "You three just let loose and have fun. Besides, this isn't my room."

"Eh?" Hilary squeaked.

Delcatty trotted out of the room. "Just don't make a hole in the wall," Clara said, closing the bedroom door.

"Well, your mom seemed all right with it," said Bianca. "You ready, Hilary!"

Hilary sighed. Bianca was always like this. She meant well, but sometimes she didn't think things all the way through. But, she did have a point. These Pokémon were weak, what was the worst they could do? "You're not giving me a choice in the matter, are you?" Hilary asked finally.

"Nope!"

"Right," Hilary chuckled slightly. She pumped her fist and gestured to her new pal. "Oshawott, let's go!"

"Tepig, go!"

"Tepig!"

"Osha, Osh!"

"Women," Cheren muttered. He stood beside the door, eating the lunch Mrs. Sanders laid out for them.

"Tepig, use Tackle!" Bianca declared.

"Dodge it!" Hilary ordered.

The small pig Pokémon charged at Oshawott, who jumped up and over Tepig. Tepig realized right off that it's target was no longer there. And unable to stop in time, it hit the wall, knocking a few pictures and posters off. "Quick, Oshawott, Tackle," Hilary called.

"Osh-a-wott!" the blue otter shouted, launching itself at Tepig.

The orange Pokémon skitted across the floor until it slid to a halt. "We're not done yet, Tepig!" Bianca exclaimed. "Tail Whip!"

Shaking, Tepig stood up. It charged at Oshawott and jumped in the air. It's tail slapped Oshawott several times. "Tackle!" Hilary shouted.

Grunting, Oshawott's small hands grabbed Tepig's tail, pulled down and jumped up. Their heads bashed together and both fell back. One after the other they stood back up and got into a fighting stance. "Oshawott, this is it," Hilary said.

"We've almost got them, Tepig," encouraged Bianca.

"Tackle!" both girl's shouted.

With a running start the two Pokémon clashed into each other and were thrown back against the walls opposite each other. Both Pokémon stood up and glared at each other for a few moments. Finally, Tepig jerked forward, and fell to the floor with swirls in it's eyes. "Tepig," Bianca shouted. She pulled out it's Pokéball. "Return!"

A red beam shout out of the ball, engulfing Tepig and returning to it's ball. "Wow," Bianca muttered, smiling at her long-time friend. "Hilary, you're gonna be an awesome Trainer, I can tell!"

"Tell me that again latter down the road," Hilary said, taking Oshawott in her arms. "These little guy's are still low leveled. Really the only offensive moves they know right now is Tackle."

"Okay the," Bianca said, pumping her fist. "When Oshawott evolves, I'll repeat what I just said."

"Bianca," Cheren said, a hand placed on the side of his head. An empty plate rested beside him on the floor. "Would you look around."

Obediently, Bianca scanned the area. Hilary's room was trashed, furniture in disarray, and scuff marks on the floor. Surprisingly, the only thing untouched was Hilary's Nintendo Wii next to the TV set, and the desk carrying Bianca and Hilary's lunch. "Whoa, what happened?" Bianca exclaimed, causing Cheren and Hilary to become suddenly familiar with the floor. "Pokémon are a-maze-ing! So little, but so strong! Um… sorry about your room, Hilary."

"You," Cheren started, unable to find the right words. "Are completely hopeless."

"Cheren, it's fine," Hilary said, placing a hand on her friends shoulder.

"I told you two it wasn't a good idea to battle in here."

Both girls shrugged in response. "You're both hopeless," Cheren muttered.

"Cheren's turn next!" Bianca said in a sing-song tone. She sat on the desk, eating, herself. "Knowing you I'm sure you can battle without turning the room into a disaster area!"

"Bianca, did you not hear a word I just said?"

"Aw, common Ren," Hilary said, nudging him slightly. "You know you want to."

Cheren grimaced slightly, at both the childhood nickname, and the fact that Hilary could see right through him. "But not with Oshawott like that," he said finally. He pulled out a small bottle from his coat pocket, and aimed the nozzle at Oshawott. "This'll restore it's strength."

He pressed the top of the bottle and a soft mist engulfed Oshawott. The small otter Pokémon suddenly perked up and began singing it's name. "You ready now, Oshawott?" Hilary asked smiling.

"Osha-wott!"

"Okay," grinned Cheren. He tossed his Pokéball into the air and his grass Pokémon emerged. "Let's see what you can do, Snivy. Tackle!"

"Snivy!" the green Pokémon shouted, running up to Oshawott.

"Oshawott, you Tackle too!"

Oshawott launched itself over to Snivy and slammed into it. They both jerked back and glared at each other. "Snivy, again!"

"Dodge it!"

The two Pokémon obeyed, and the battle continued with the simple Tackle. "Oshawott, Tackle!" Hilary shouted.

The small otter Pokémon ran up to Snivy and slammed into it. Snivy swayed slightly and fell to the floor, passed out. "Snivy, return," Cheren said with a Pokéball pointed at the fallen Snivy.

"Return, Oshawott."

"I made a strange blunder in my first battle," Cheren said, pushing his glasses into place. "But this feeling I have… I'm finally a Trainer. But first… we'd better apologize to Mrs. Sanders about the mess."

The brown haired girl grabbed the last plate, and begain eating, following close behind Cheren and Bianca, as they traveled down stairs into the kitchen.

An awkward silence hung in the air and the three traveled down stairs to find Clara in the living room with Delcatty. They were apparently watching the news. "I'm very sorry about the trouble, ma'am," Cheren said suddenly, catching Clara's attention.

"Hmh?"

"Uh…" Bianca added, fiddling with her fingers. "Em… We'll clean up…"

"Clean up?" asked Clara.

"Yeah," said Hilary, rocking from side to side. "We kinda got a little carried away…"

"Oh, no worries," Clara said, putting two-and-two together. "I'll take care of it later. Shouldn't you be on your way to meet with Professor Juniper?"

"Yes, thank you, ma'am," said Cheren with a nod. "Please excuse us."

"I gotta go home first," Bianca explained. "But I'll meet you at the Research Lab. Thanks for having us over, ma'am."

"Hilary," I wan to talk to you first," Clara said as Cheren and Bianca excused themselves. "My little Hilary's going out into the world. I was about your age when I finally accomplished my dreams."

Both mother and daughter looked over at the TV mantle were a collection of Contest Ribbons from both the Hoenn and Sinnoh region, as well as a Ribbon Cup from both regions. A few framed pictures of Clara in her youth sat with the collection. Some of herself and her Skitty, some with her rivals, and one with Clara and Top Coordinator, and Clara's idol at the time, Juan.

"Hilary, while you're out and about, try to find a dream for yourself," Clara advised. "Once you found that dream, go for it."

Hilary remained silent for a few moments and finally nodded. "Kay."

"Now, don't forget your bag," her mom said. She shoved a backpack into Hilary's arms. "It's got all you'll need for a week or so. Water bottle, flood, clean underwear, fresh cloths, sleeping bag, with room to spare for other items. Oh, I almost forgot, wait here a moment."

Clara rushed upstairs, and left Hilary and Delcatty to exchange awkward glances. As quickly as she left, Hilary's mom was back. "An Xtransceiver," she explained, strapping the dark pink, watch-like device around Hilary's right wrist.

"How much did this cost?" Hilary asked, studding it.

"Your dad bought it for you," Clara explained. "He sent it in last week."

"Oh."

Hilary's eyes traveled to the TV. They were dusccusing the current ourbreak of an anit-Trainer assosiation. People who believed that trapping Pokemon in Pokeballs was wrong. That Trainers were using Pokemon as slaves. "Hopefully," Clara said, ushering her daughter to the door. "You won't have to deal with people like that, shoving beliefs down your throa."

"I might," said Hilary. "They're getting louder and laouder."

"Now be sure to keep in touch. Stay safe, wear clean underwear everyday and take care of you Pokémon," Clara continued. "I'll call you if I hear anymore from Jerri."

"Kay, Mom," Hilary said, slinging her back over her shoulder. "Love you!"

With that said, she ran down the road to the Research Lab. The Professor's Research Lab was on the up North, at least a fifteen minute walk from home. By the time she got to the Lab, Cheren was waiting outside with his back leaning against the outside wall. His own bag was on the ground by his feet. "Well, there you are," he said standing up straight. He grabbed his bag by the strap and tossed it over his shoulder. "But where's Bianca?"

"She said she had to stop at her house first," Hilary said with a shrug. "I would've thought she'd be here by now."

"She's probably spacing out somewhere."

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Bianca shouted, running up to them. Her face was slightly flushed and Hilary noticed that her eyes were slightly puffy. Was she upset about something?

"Alright, let's go," smiled Cheren.

He opened the door, and he and his friends entered the lab. "Hi there," Professor Juniper smiled, seeing the three walk up. "I've been waiting for you young people!"

"Thank you very much for the Pokémon, Professor," said Hilary with a slight nod of the head.

"We really appreciate it," Cheren added.

"Em… It's not that I'm not grateful, Professor," Bianca began. "But why did you trust us with little guy's like them?"

"I'm glad you asked Bianca," said Professor Juniper. "I wanted to ask you three…"

"About the Pokédex, right?" Cheren interrupted.

"I'm astonished," an impressed Professor said. "You really did your homework. Nice work, Cheren! As you should know Pokédex records data on any Pokémon you encounter. So I want to ask you three to visit many places and meet all the Pokémon in the Unova region. Hilary, Cheren, Bianca, you'll go on an adventure to complete the Pokédex, will you not?"

"Okay!" Bianca shouted. "I mean… Yes, Professor!"

"Of course I will," Cheren nodded. "I've finally become a Pokémon Trainer, exactly as I've always wished."

"Sure," Hilary nodded with a smile. "I'll do it."

"All of you, thanks! You've given me the best possible answer," smiled Professor Juniper. She pulled up a wheeled table that held three Pokédex and five set's of Pokéballs. "Your Pokédex and Pokéballs, you'll need them to full fill your tasks. You each have a Xtransceiver, right?

The three collected their times and nodded at the Professors question. "Great. If you have any question's don't hesitate to give me a call, okay. Keep in mind that it doesn't matter where you go or how you get there, but rather deciding if you want to go in the first place.

"Yes ma'am!"

"This is so exciting!" Bianca exclaimed as the three walked out of the Research Lab and onto Route 1. "Guy's we have to take our first step onto Route 1 together!'

"Really, Bianca," Hilary grinned. She scratched the back of her head. "You can be so sentimental."

Although they came to a stop. They were at the edge of town. One step forward, and they would be on Route 1. "Alright," said Bianca. She got in between Hilary and Cheren, linking arms with them. "Let's take our first step out of town together!"

"Here we go," Cheren smiled.

"No turning back after this," Hilary added.

With their arm's linked they took their first step out of Nuvema Town. They were silent for a few moments, relaxing their arms. Bianca was the first to break the silence with "I wonder what will happen… Isn't this so exciting?"

"It sure is," agreed Cheren. "I'm headed to Accumula Town. It should be about a day's walk from here."

"Not a bad idea," Hilary agreed. Her hands placed on her hip. "It's the closest town, I'm sure it'll be a good place to stock up on supplies."

"Wait, I thought of something fun," squealed Bianca. "Why don't we see who can catch the most Pokémon? The person carrying the most Pokémon, including the one from Professor Juniper is the winner."

"Ye-ah," nodded Hilary. She scratched her cheek slightly. "I guess a little friendly competition couldn't hurt. Cheren?"

"Actually, that sounds a little interesting. It will fill up the Pokédex pages, so it'll please the Professor, too. Okay, then. Let's meet up in Accumula Town."

Exchanging smiles the three broke out into a run, down Rout 1 leaving their childhood homes behind. And taking the first steps into their future.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Hilary hardly slept the night she left home. Not because she was excited, but because she was a little scared of what was lurking outside in the night. Partially because Hilary was afraid of Woobat and Swoobat since she was a little girl. She got lost once, and Jerri only made it worse in an attempt to 'help' her get over it. The only way Hilary got any sleep at all, was by having Oshawott sleep with her in her sleeping bag.

"Osha! Wott!" the otter Pokémon cheered, waking up the next morning.

Groaning, Hilary sat up. Her hair was a mess, and there were bags under her tired eyes. "Need… coffee…" the Trainer grumbled.

"Oshawott?"

"Looks like I'll have to run in between towns if I want to get to a Pokémon Center," Hilary sighed, climbing out from the bag. She was still dressed in her clothes, though missing her cap, shoes, and camera belt. "That or get a traveling buddy."

Oshawott began singing to itself. It trotted over to Hilary's camera bag, and dragged it over to it's Trainer. "Oshawott?" Hilary questioned. "You want your picture taken?"

"Osh!"

"A Pokémon after my own heart! All right, keep still, and smile."

Oshawott adjusted it's scalchop in the center of it's belly, and smiled brightly for Hilary. She quickly snapped a picture. "Looks like the camera loves a certain someone," the brunette smiled, showing the screen to the water Pokémon.

"Osha!" it said happily.

"All right," Hilary said, placing the camera back in it's pouch. "Let's clean up, and get going. We're supposed to meet Cheren and Bianca in Accumula Town. Actually, I should catch at least one more Pokémon."

Oshowott helped Hilary roll up, and pack up the sleeping bag. Once she got herself in order, she propped Oshowott on her shoulder, and they took off down the route. She should have caught at least one more Pokémon before reaching Accumula Town. Now if only something showed up.

"Lilli-Lilli-Lilli-Lilli!" a Pokémon chanted.

A small, puppy Pokémon sat in the middle of the road, watching the young trainer, curiously. "A Lillipup," Hilary said to herself in a hushed tone. She took her Pokédex out of her shorts pocked, and lined it up with Lillipup.

'_Lillipup,' _said a mechanical voice. _'The Puppy Pokémon. Lillipup faces strong opponents with great courage. But, when at a disadvantage in a fight, this intelligent Pokémon flees.'_

"Okay, then," Hilary smiled, taking a Poké ball out of her pocket. "I am going to catch you now. Oshawott, let's do this!"

"Osha-wott!" the water Pokémon shouted, launching itself off of Hilary's shoulder.

"Okay, Oshawott, use Tackle!"

Oshawott charged at Lillipup as it shook itself once more. Oshawott's head butted into Lillipup's side. The small Pokémon yelped it's name as it was knocked over by the force of the Tackle. Getting back onto it's paws Lillipup let out an angry growl and darted straight at Oshawott. The two small bodies collided, sliding to the ground. "Hang in there, Oshawott," Hilary encouraged while her started stood back up. "Just a little more, okay. Give it another Tackle!"

"Osha Osh!" it nodded.

"Lilli-pup," the puppy Pokémon muttered, struggling to stand up.

"Now, Oshawott!"

"Osh-a-wott!" Oshawott shouted, darting at Lillipup once more.

Their small bodies collided and Lillipup flew across the air. "Alright," Hilary grinned, throwing the empty Poké ball at the fallen Lillipup. "Let's do this!"

She threw the Pokéball at the fallen Lillipup and engulfed it inside the ball. It rocked back once… twice… thrice… The ball finally stopped rocking, signaling that Lillipup had been successfully caught. "Yes!" Hilary cheered as she ran up to Lillipup's Poké ball. She grinned boldly while she scooped it up. She looked down at Oshawott, who seemed pretty please himself. "That wasn't half-bad, was it Oshawott?"

"Osh," smiled Oshawott.

"Thanks for you help Oshawott," said Hilary. She held Oshawott's Poké ball and aimed it at the otter. "Return."

She placed the ball back in her pocket, and continued down the road. Two Pokémon, and just a little way's outside of Accumula Town. Not a bad morning.

* * *

Without a shadow of a doubt, Accumula Town was much, much different than Nuvema Town. It was quite a bit bigger than the sleepy Nuvema town, taller buildings, and a bigger town all together. "Where am I supposed to find the Pokémon Center here?" Hilary asked herself, standing at the town's entrance.

"Hey, Hilary!" Bianca shouted, running up to the brunette. "I met up again with Cheren. I was a little worried when you didn't show up last night."

"Nice to see you, too, Bianca," Hilary smiled. "You wouldn't happen to know where the Pokémon Center is, would you?"

"Oh, sure," the blonde girl said, taking her friend by the hand. "Follow me!"

While leading her to the nearest Center, Bianca explained that all three of them arrived in Accumula Town with three Pokémon. Bianca had also caught a Lillipup, too. "I'd hate to leave so soon, Hilary," Bianca said, when they finally made it to the Pokémon Center. "But I'm going to head up to Striaton City. Professor Juniper has a friend there, I really want to meet. Are you all right from here?"

"Yeah, I'll head up there later," Hilary nodded.

"Okay, bye!" Bianca waved, running off.

"See you," Hilary said, walking into the Pokémon Center.

A couple of years back, the decision was made to combine the Pokémon Center with a Poké Mart. It saved time for Trainers, so there was the convenience to be happy about.

Taking out Oshawott and Lillipup's Poké balls, she walked to the back of the room, where a pink haired nurse stood at the behind the desk. "Hello there," Nurse Joy smiled, kindly. "We at the Accumula Town Pokémon Center restore your tired Pokémon to perfect health. Would you like me to heal your Pokémon?"

"Yes, please," Hilary smiled. She handed the Poké Balls to Nurse Joy, who smiled in return.

"Alright, please wait a moment."

The nurse turned her back to the trainer, and placed the Poké balls into the machine. Hilary leaned against the counter, waiting patiently. "You didn't just happen to leave home, recently, did you?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Yeah," Hilary nodded. "It's written all over my face, isn't it?"

"My daughter left home, just yesterday," Nurse Joy explained. The machine let out a short jingle. Satisfied, Nurse Joy returned Hilary's Pokémon. "There we go, all happy and healthy. We hope to see you again."

"Thank you," the brown haired teen said, collecting her Poké balls. Returning them to their pocket, she half-jogged out of the Pokémon Center.

If Hilary remembered correctly, the nearest Gym was in Striaton City. So, obviously, that was where she was headed for.

The girl jumped back, with a loud shriek. Oshawott's ball opened up on it's own, the otter appeared at Hilary's feet. "Oshawott?" the trainer shrieked. "What the heck?"

"Osha!" the blue Pokémon said, pointing forward. "Osha, Osha!"

The otter Pokémon ran off into a crowd in the town square. To Hilary, it seemed like kind of rally was going on. And Oshawott was running right into it. "Oshawott!" Hilary shouted, giving chase. "Oshawott!"

In the crowd, a black haired teenager watched a small group of people on a makeshift platform. Their outfits looked like some kind of armor, and some kind of space suite. Then there was the green haired man who stood on the center of the platform. The boy had to assume he held some kind of authority over this group, judging from the complex robe he wore.

"Oshawott! Osh!" Cheren heard, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" he looked down to find an Oshawott staring up at him. "Wait, aren't you…?"

One of the Poké balls on his belt opened on it's own, and his Snivy stood at his feet. The two Pokémon began conversing with each other. "Oshawott!" a familiar brown haired girl shouted, running up to him. "Oshaw - Ren?"

"Hilary," said Cheren, it was mostly to himself than to her. "I thought it was Oshawott. It must have seen me, and wanted to see Snivy."

"Looks like it," Hilary sighed, bending down, she collected Oshawott in her arms. Cheren, mimicking Hilary's moves, took Snivy and placed it on is shoulder. "So, what's going on?"

"I think it's that anti-Trainer group," Cheren explained.

The man in the robe stepped forward, and said, "My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation."

Cheren and Hilary exchanged looks. "Pokémon liberation…" Cheren repeated darkly.

"I am sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon have come to live together because we want and need each other," Ghetsis continued. "However… Is it really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans… only assume that is the truth? Pokémon are subjects to selfish commands of Trainers! They get pushed around when they are our 'partners' at work! Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"

The two teenagers exchanged looks, while murmurs rose from the crowd. "Now, ladies and gentlemen," said Ghetsis. "Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility towards these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"

"What could it be?" someone asked.

"Liberation?"

"That's right," declared Ghetsis. "We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon… and the correct way to proceeded. We sincerely appreciate your attention."

As Ghetsis walked off the platform, the Team Plasma grunts began to tear it down, and followed close behind him. "So that's what they sound like in person," Hilary mumbled. "What an odd group."

"No kidding," Cheren snorted, pushing his glasses into place. "Although… that's not stopping other's from listening."

Hilary looked around her. There were people who regarded Ghetsis' words as nonsense and went about with business as usual, as though toughing happened. But some seemed pretty distraught over what they just heard. Those people were the one's who took their Poké balls, and released the Pokémon inside. Some even went as far as to apologize to them.

"Well," Cheren said, his hands in his jacket pockets. "What are you going to do now, with this in mind?"

"Em…" Hilary thought for a moment. She hadn't actually thought about this, even with all of this being reported on the news. "I'm going to assume that if Oshawott and Lillipup don't like the way thing's are between us, they'd let me know. If you ask me, it's the Pokémon who are in control, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah," Cheren nodded with a slight smile. "I think I see where you're coming from. In any case, Snivy and Oshawott seem to be happy."

"Snivy?" the grass Pokémon asked Oshawott.

"Osh!" was Oshawott's response. "Oshawott Osh!"

"I guess so," Hilary smiled. She scratched the little Pokémon behind the ear. "You would let me know if I was making you do something you didn't want to, right Oshawott?"

"Osha-wott!"

Cheren suddenly cleared his throat. Standing in front of them was a young man. He looked as though he could have been seventeen or eighteen. It was difficult to tell, as he was fairly tall. He had long, tea green hair, which was probably his most noticeable feature. He was dressed in a black undershirt, white over shirt, grey jeans, and a black and white baseball cap. Hanging from his belt was a void cube.

He stared at the two trainers, his hand gripped his chin lightly out of confusion. "Can we help you?" asked Cheren.

"You're Pokémon," he said quickly, his blue eyes locked on Hilary and Oshawott. "Just now it was saying…"

Hilary and Cheren exchanged looks, and glanced back at the young man. "Huh?" they said in unison.

"You talk to fast," said Cheren, shaking his head slightly. He adjusted his glasses and folded his arms over his chest. "What's this about Pokémon… talking? That's an odd thing to say."

"Yes," the man replied. "They're talking."

"Like… talking, talking?" Hilary asked. Honestly, this was a first, someone claming that they could actually understand Pokémon…

"Oh," the older boy sighed, with a slight hint of disappointment. "Then, you two can't hear it, either… How sad. My name is N."

Cheren's head jerked slightly with a force that knocked his glasses askew. Hilary's expression simply fell. Both Trainer's bore a look on their faces that read as, _'Dude, I am so sorry…'_

'What cruel parents…' Hilary thought.

"Em," Cheren muttered, straightening his glasses. "My-My name is Cheren, and this is Hilary."

"Hi," Hilary said, waving her hand.

"We were asked to complete the Pokédex with another friend of ours. We just left on your journey yesterday. My main goal is to become Champion, though."

"The Pokédex, eh," N repeated. His eyes, which were covered by the shadows thanks to his hat, held an expression Hilary had a difficult time naming. Anger? Disgust? Maybe a mix of both. "So, you're going to confine many, many Pokémon into Poké balls for that, then. I'm a Trainer too, but, I can't help wonder… Are Pokémon really happy that way. Well, Hilary, is it?"

"Hilary Sanders, the one and only," she said, giving him a mock salute.

"Let me hear you're Pokémon's voice again," he declared, with at Poké ball clenched in his fist.

"You mean a battle?" she asked, with a slight smile. "Sure! Ready, Oshawott?"

"Osh!" it responded, jumping out of it's partners arms.

"Purrloin," N said simply with a toss of his Poké ball. A purple and yellow cat-like Pokémon appeared in front of him. "Scratch, Purloin."

"Oshawott, use Tackle."

Purrloin's claws almost glistened to show off just how sharp they were. It scratched at Oshawott's face a few times. The water Pokémon groaned it's name slightly and threw Purrloin to the side. "Again, Purrloin," N declared.

"Oshawott, dodge it!" shouted Hilary.

The feline Pokémon shrieked it's name as it ran up to Oshawott as fast as it could. Standing it's ground, the water Pokémon remained rooted in it's place, and took a deep breath in. "Oshawott?" Hilary asked, her brow arching in confusion.

A powerful stream of water shot out of Oshawott's mouth and slammed into Purrloin. Hilary stared at her started, fairly dumbfounded. "What a convenient time to learn a new move…" she said to herself.

"More!" N shouted, his hands balled up at his side. "Let me hear the voice of your Pokémon!"

"You want more?" asked Hilary, a smirk formed on her face. "Have it your way, then. Oshawott, use Water Gun!"

"Osh-a-wott!" it shouted, water shot out of it's mouth once more.

"Purrloin, use Scratch!" shouted N.

"Purr!"

The water knocked Purrloin off it's feet, across the pavement. It landed on the ground with a dizzy look on it's face. N ran up to his fallen Purrloin and scooped it up in his arms. "I never expected Pokémon to say such things," he muttered himself.

He walked back to Hilary and Cheren, Purrloin cradled in his arms. "As long as Pokémon are confined in Poké balls… Pokémon will never become perfect beings," he said, looking up at the two. "I have to change the world for Pokémon, because they're my friends."

Adjusting the brim of his hat, N walked off. "Strange guy," Cheren muttered when he was sure N was out of ear-shot.

"You're telling me," Hilary snorted. She pulled out Oshawott's Poké ball. "Oshawott, return."

"I'm not going to worry about any of it," Cheren sighed. "Trainers and Pokémon help out each other. Listen, I'm going to go ahead."

"I'll have to stop at the Pokémon Center again," Hilary sighed. "Gotta make sure Oshawott's all right before we get too far."

"I better see you in Striaton City, Hilary. If you really want to become a strong Trainer, best take out all eight Gym Leaders before taking the Elite Four."

"I'm not going to do this to become strong," Hilary said. She turned her back to her friend, in the direction of the Pokémon Center. "I'm doing this to see how far I can go."

* * *

"Oh, Purrloin!" Mali shrieked. Her Purrloin fell to the ground in a dead faint. With a slight smile she pulled out her Poké ball and recalled Purrloin. "You did great. Thank you for the battle, Hilary."

"No problem," the brown haired teen smiled, recalling her own Lillipup. "Is Purrloin going to be okay?"

"Yeah," Mali nodded. "She just need a little TRC. Thank you, again. Hopefully we can have a rematch someday."

"Sure," Hilary nodded while Mali walked off.

A short while ago, after Hilary and Cheren parted, she found herself on Route 2. She ran into Mali, who was looking for a Pokémon Battle, in which Hilary happily obliged. Route 2 was a simple dirt path, with the only obstacles being Pokémon and Pokémon Trainers.

It was a good opportunity for her to work with, and get to know Lillipup. Lillipup was very playful and pretty affectionate. Thought, he never got to the point where she couldn't focus on the battle. It looked like Hilary and Lillipup were going to get along great. "Look out!" someone cried from behind her.

Slowly glancing over her shoulder, Hilary saw a girl barreling straight for her on a bike. The two collided, very painfully, before Hilary had the chance to react.

Hilary felt the front wheel of the bike slam into her stomach. The girl was catapulted off the bike and landed a few feet in front of her, face first into the road. Once she was off, the handle bars of the bike, smacked into Hilary's face. She fell over with the bike sprawled out on top of her. "I'm so-sorry…" the girl moaned, pushing herself onto her feet. "I-I've never really been on a bike before… H-Hey, are you okay?"

Within the next few minutes, the girl helped seat Hilary onto a fallen tree truck. Her nose was bleeding, so the girl gave Hilary a few tissues, instructing her to keep her head tilted back. The front wheel of the girl's bike was bent, but she didn't seem to mind it that much. She was probably about ready to abandon it all together.

"I'm sorry," the girl said, sitting beside Hilary on the trunk.

"Don't worry about it," Hilary said, removing the tissue. The bleeding had stopped, but there was still a bloody mess on her nose. "I'm pretty sure nothing's broken."

"That's good."

Hilary finally got a good look at the girl. She was about the same age as her, a bit taller than herself, with pink hair, and blue eyes. She wore a pink bandana on her head. She had on a white shirt, a pink skirt, and white biker shorts. Over all of this, she had on a pink apron. "Oh, sorry," the girl said. "I'm Rissa Joy. My mom's the nurse at the Pokémon Center in Accumula Town."

"Oh," Hilary breathed out. "She mentioned you when I stopped by. But she said you left yesterday… I'm Hilary Sanders, by the way."

"Yeah," Rissa sighed, her shoulders hunched slightly. "I should've been in Striaton City by now. Maybe even Route 3."

"Is something keeping you?"

Rissa bit her lip slightly. She sighed. "I told myself that I wasn't going to go to the next city until I caught my first Pokémon… but Audino and I aren't having any luck with that…"

"Audino?" Hilary questioned.

"Yeah, my partner."

Rissa took a Poké ball out from her apron pocket, and enlarged it. She pressed the button on the center, allowing her partner to come out. A pink Pokémon stood in front of the two with a kindly smile on it's face. "Audino," it greeted.

"This is Audino," Rissa introduced. "My partner."

"Audino, huh," Hilary said to herself. She took out her Pokédex and held it up to the pink Pokémon.

'_Audino,' _the Pokédex said. _'The Hearing Pokémon. Audino touches others with the feelers on its ears, using the sound of their heartbeats to tell how they are feeling.'_

"Usually, Audino works at the Pokémon Center to aid the nurses," Rissa explained. "Audino here has been with me for a few years now, so I thought it would be fitting to take her with me."

"Make sense, I guess," Hilary said, leaning back. "Oshawott and I don't have a story like that. We just met yesterday."

"You will soon enough thought," Rissa reassured. She rested a hand on Audino's head.

The brunette puffed her cheeks out slightly. "You said you were a Joy, right," she started. "Doesn't that mean you'll be working as a nurse?"

"Yeah," Rissa sighed sadly. She appeared to be distraught. "I'm at that age where Audino and I need to decide if we want to become Pokémon Nurses, or go of and become a Pokémon Trainer. I'm not sure if I want to become an nurse though. So, I talked it over with my mom, and we agreed that I should at least get a Trainers License, and get out there and travel Unova. Then decided what I really want."

"Sound's like my friend, Bianca," Hilary said, with a bright smile. "She's not sure what she wants to do with her life either. That's why she's traveling."

"Really?" Rissa asked with a smirk. "So, em… if you don't mind me asking… What are you planning on doing?"

"Me?" Hilary questioned. "I'm going to collect eight Gym Badges, and challenge the Elite Four. Ren wouldn't let me live it down if I didn't."

"Ren?"

"Cheren. He and Bianca are a couple of my best friends. We got our Trainers License, and our starters together."

"You sound close," Rissa said under her breath.

The two remained silent for a few, long, awkward, moments. Were they just supposed to get up and leave after talking like this? "Um… Hi-Hilary," Rissa said, finally. "C-Can I ask something of you?"

"Hm?"

"Could you please… help me catch a Pokémon?"

"Huh?"

"Audino and I…" Rissa said meekly. She fiddled with her fingers. "We've been trying to catch a new teammate since we left, but we haven't had any luck. So… would you…"

Hilary looked down at her feet. Shouldn't she be working on her own team? But… what was the worst that could happen? "I suppose it couldn't hurt…" Hilary said with a sigh.

"Really?" Rissa asked. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Were you looking for something in particular?" Hilary asked, standing up.

"Not really," Rissa admitted. "Audino and I are open to anything."

"That's good, I guess," Hilary nodded, with Lillipup's Poké ball in hand. "Now, we just need to find something."

A rustle in the nearby trees caught the pair's attention. "Speak of the devil," Hilary muttered.

Floating to the ground was an angry black, white, and yellow Pokémon. "It's an Emolga," said Rissa.

"Ah…" the brunette breathed out, with her Pokédex in hand.

'_Emolga,' _it said. _'The Sky Squirrel Pokémon. Emolga live on treetops and glide using the inside of a cape-like membrane while discharging electricity.'_

"It's weird thought," Rissa said, mostly to herself than anything else. "You don't find Emolga on Route 2."

"Huh?" Hilary muttered. She tossed Lillipup's Poké ball into the air. "All right, Lillipup, I want you to use Tackle."

"Pup!" the puppy Pokémon nodded.

She darted forward, muttering the first syllable of her name with each step. Emolga looked at Lillipup with an angry look in it's eyes. It took in a deep breath as electricity emitted from it's body. The electricity struck, Lillipup as she fell to the ground, unable to move. "Lillipup!" Hilary cried.

"Emolga!" the squirrel Pokémon shouted angrily. "Emolga! Emol!"

With that said, Emolga jumped into the air, and sailed down the dirt road. "Emolga, wait!" Hilary shouted, she scooped up Lillipup and ran after the electric Pokémon.

"Hilary, wait for us!" Rissa shouted. She pointed a Poké Ball at Audino. "Audino, return."

Rissa caught up to Hilary with little problems. "Hilary, it probably doesn't want to be caught," Rissa said. "It could be someone else's! Like it got separated from it's partner, and it's waiting for them."

"Then it might be waiting for nothing," Hilary said. Something just dawned on her. She remembered the speech she heard in Accumula Town. How some people were releasing their Pokémon afterwards. "Earlier today this group that called themselves Team Plasma were encouraging people to release their Pokémon, saying that they were only slaves to humans. Emolga could have been released by it's Trainer because of this. It could just be realizing that it's partner won't be coming back for it. That's why it's here, it's not wild, it was released."

"What…?"

Emolga finally settled down by an apple tree. It picked up a fallen fruit and took a bite from it. "Lillipup," Hilary said to the puppy Pokémon in her arms. "Are you ready to try it again?"

"Lilli!"

"All right," Hilary slid to a stop, as Lillipup jumped out of her arms. "Give it a tackle!"

Once again Lillipup ran up to Emolga, muttering it's name with each step. Her head collided with the electric Pokémon, sending it flying back until it hit the tree. "Again, Lillipup!"

With an arched brow, Lillipup barreled straight at Emolga. The small electric Pokémon braced itself, volts of electricity emitting from it's body. The puppy Pokémon flinched at it was shocked "Hang in there, Lillipup," Hilary encouraged. "Try again!"

Growling slightly, Lillipup ignored the electricity as best as she could. Shouting her name, Lillipup ran forward, slamming her body into Emolga. Emolga flew into the air, extending it's arms, it sailed to the ground, and prepared itself for another electric attack. "Alright, Lillipup," Hilary began. "Give him another-"

"Hold on," Rissa said, rushing up to Emolga.

Rissa sunk to her knees and stared at the flying squirrel Pokémon. "Was Hilary right, Emolga?" she asked the small Pokémon. "That you were released by your Trainer?"

"Emol…" Emolga growled, electricity sparking out of it's cheeks.

"I see," Rissa continued. "You didn't want to be released, did you? I'm sure your Trainer thought he was doing the right thing. Accept… he didn't take your feeling's into consideration, did he?"

"Emolga!" it shouted.

"It's okay if your angry at him, Emolga. You two probably had a lot of trust in each other, and he just threw it away. But he thought he was doing the right thing for you."

"Emol-ga!" it shouted, electricity emitting from it's body.

"Rissa!" Hilary shouted. "Rissa, move!"

The young, would-be, nurse remained still, moaning in pain slightly, her body was shocked. When the electricity died down, Rissa took Emolga in her arm's and held it close to her. "It's all right if your mad," Rissa said. "I'm sure he wouldn't want you to be mad forever though…"

"Emolga!" it shouted. "Em…ol…"

Soon, Emolga began sobbing its name into Rissa's chest. Hilary watched the scene play out. She looked down at her Lillipup, then back as Rissa stroke Emolga's fur.

When Emolga settled down, it remained on Rissa's shoulder, apparently accepting her. At this point, the sun was beginning to set. "Guess you really didn't need my help," Hilary laughed.

"No, I did," Rissa said, shaking her head. "If you hadn't told me about Team Plasma, I might not have known about Emolga's trainer."

"Well, it looks like it's taken a shine to you."

"Emolga!" it said happily.

"It looks like it," Rissa said happily. "You're headed to Striaton City, right? I'd really hate to ask something more of you, but, may I… travel with you, Hilary?"

"Really?" Hilary asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah," Rissa laughed weakly. "I'm kind of… scared about traveling on my own. I wouldn't mind a traveling companion."

"Well," Hilary thought for a moment. "_I_ have no problem with it."

"Okay," Rissa said happily. "So you're stuck we me for a little longer."

"Dang it all," Hilary said in a mock annoyance.

Rissa stuck her tongue out in response. "Come on," she said, gesturing down the path with her head. "If we go now, we should be able to get to the Pokémon Center before it get's too dark. The nurse there's my second cousin, so it should be nice to see her again."

* * *

**Authors Note:** Rissa (short for Marissa) is the product of me wanting to make a Nurse Joy character. Even though she's not a nurse yet. Emolga's story kind a came from the manga, where some people actually did relese their Pokemon after hearing Ghetsis' speech.

Also there's this fandub has like the perfect voices I always pictured for N, Cheren, and Bianca (I hate Bianca's anime portryal). Try to look up a fandub for the animated trailer for Black and White2, and look for the username GonaxVa.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three **

"Take care of yourself, Rissa," Nurse Joy said, as the two teen's walked out of the Pokémon Center.

"You too," Rissa smiled in return. "I'll catch you later."

As the two agreed, they spent the night at the Pokémon Center. All the while, Rissa took the time to catch up with Nurse Joy. "So," Rissa said, walking along side Hilary, who was busy taking pictures of Striaton City. "Do you know where the Gym is?"

Chuckling weakly, Hilary lowered the camera from her eye level. "Actually… no," she said with a lopsided grin. "The map Mom packed in my bag just shows me how to get from one city or town to another."

"Great," the pinkette sighed.

"Hey hey! How hard can it be to find the Gym? Piece of cake!"

"I hope so…"

The two spent the remainder of the morning, searching the city for the Striaton Gym. What Hilary thought would have been easy to find, was actually proving to be much more difficult. They spent the morning, and into the early afternoon traveling around the city.

Rissa collapsed onto a wooden bench with a loud sigh. "Why don't we just ask for directions?" she asked.

"Why didn't you ask your cousin before we left the Pokémon Center?" Hilary asked, seating herself beside Rissa. "I'm sure she would've known."

"Or, you know, you could've. You're the one that wants a Gym battle. Have you even thought about a strategy?"

The brunette bit the inside of her cheek. She leaned in forward with her elbows rested on her knees. "I Don't know what they're actually like," she sighed. "But I _do_ know, that Striaton Gym has three Gym Leaders, triplet brothers. Each brother battles with either a Pansage, Pansear, or Panpour, depending on which one you face. The brother the challenger faces depends on what your starter is, and you battle the one with the one that has the advantage over your starter."

"Well, what's the problem, there?" Rissa asked. "You can use Lillipup."

With a sigh, Hilary reached into her pocket for Lillipup's Poké ball, and allowed the puppy-Pokémon to happily sit on her lap. Hilary scratched him behind the ear. "I suppose," she said. "But the most damaging move Lillipup knows right now is Tackle."

"A Lillipup, eh?" the two heard suddenly. It was a young man, a little older than the two girls, or maybe he was just the same age, just taller than the both of them. He had light green hair, dressed in a white button down shirt, a closed, black vest, and matching black pants. "A small Pokémon with a cute exterior, but with hidden abilities. An ideal choice for a Trainer just starting out."

"Um… thanks…" Hilary muttered. "How'd you know I was just starting?"

"Partially a luck guess," the boy said. "The Striaton Gym just had a challenger who was just staring out too. He mentioned his friend might be stopping by soon enough. I assume he was talking about you."

"That was Cheren. Looks like I missed him."

"Well, you'll be happy to know he got his first badge," the boy said. "Oh, sorry, I never introduced myself. I'm Cilan, one of Striaton City's Gym Leaders, and Pokémon Connoisseur."

"Pokémon Connoisseur?" Hilary repeated confused.

"It's someone who specializes in identifying the compatibility between Trainer and Pokémon," Rissa explained. "It's not exactly a well known profession, even in Unova, but it's catching on."

"That's exactly right," Cilan smiled. "Looks like someone did their homework."

"Thanks," the pinkette smiled. "I'm Rissa."

"And I'm Hilary," the brunette said, with a wave of her hand. "We were just on our way to the Gym but got a little turn around."

"Hey, no problem," said Cilan. "Follow me."

As it turned out, the Gym was not that far away from where they were. In fact, it was right next door to the Pokémon Center. But, it didn't quite look like what Hilary expected a Pokémon Gym to look like. It actually looked like a restaurant. There were a number of tables, with a girl or two seated at a few of them. Two boy's waited the tables, one with wild red, hair, and the other with sleek blue hair.

"Looks like we've got another challenger," Cilan said, upon opening the door.

The girl's faces suddenly lit up. "A challenger, you say?" the blue haired boy asked, with a sly smirk on his face.

The lights in the room suddenly went off. The room shook slightly, the back wall slowly lifted off the group, to reveal a battle arena behind it. "We welcome you, Hilary, to the Striaton City Gym," she heard Cilan's voice echo in the room.

A spotlight shined to the right, to revile the wild red head. "I'm Chili!" he declared. "I light things up with Fire-type Pokémon!"

A second line shined on the blue haired boy. "I'm a Water-type specialist," he said calmly. "And my name is Cress. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Finally, a third line shined right down the middle, illuminating Cilan. "And my name is Cilan. I specialize in Grass-type Pokémon."

A flash of white light temporarily illuminated the room. "And from here, I battle base on what my starter is, right?" Hilary said, looking up from her camera.

"That's right," Cress said with a nod. "Say if you started with a Snivy, then you battle against Chili. A Tepig, and your against me. And if you have an Oshawott, then you battle against Cilan."

"So, what would happen if someone came here, but didn't have one of the Unova starter Pokémon?" Rissa asked. "Like, say if I was challenging the gym. But I started with Audino."

"In that case," Chili explained. "You get to choose yourself."

"Well then," Hilary said, crossing her arm's over her chest. "I guess I'm battling against Cilan."

* * *

"This will be a one on one battle," Chili declared, standing in the middle of the battle field. "The battle is over as soon as one is unable to battle. Challenger Hilary against Gym Leader Cilan!"

"Hope your ready for this, Hilary," Cilan said, tossing his Poké ball into the air. "Pansage!"

"Don't worry about me," Hilary grinned, taking her own Poké ball from her pocket. She tossed it just out of her hand. "Let's do this! Oshawott!"

"Osha!"

"Huh?" Rissa exhaled. She stood on the balcony beside Cress, and with the brothers groupies. "Why'd she go with Oshawott?"

"A Water-type against my Grass-type?" Cilan questioned with a slight tug at his bowtie. "Doesn't exactly leave a good taste, now does it?"

"Eh," Hilary shrugged. She slipped her camera out from it's carrier, and took a quick picture of Cilan and Pansage. "Just a little something to spice things up."

"Well, it's your battle. Pansage, use Vine Whip!"

"Doge it, Oshawott!" Hilary shouted. She took pictures every so often throughout this battle. And counter with Tackle!"

Obediently, the blue otter-Pokémon leaped to the side before Pansage could strike it with it's Vine Whip. Oshawott pushed off the floor and bashed into Pansage. "All right, Tackle again!" Hilary shouted.

"Pansage," Cilan said calmly. "Use Furry Swipes."

Pansage's claws began to glow slightly. It began to swipe painfully at Oshawott's face. Rissa winced slightly. Poor Oshawott. Why did Hilary send out Oshawott when it was at a clear type disadvantage against Pansage.

Oshawott was suddenly flung back, bouncing of the battle field. "You all right Oshawott?" a concerned Hilary said.

"Osh…" the little otter said, forcing himself onto his feet.

"Use Furry Swipes again, Pansage," Cilan declared.

"Quick, Oshawott! Use Water Gun!"

"Water Gun?" Rissa questioned. "That's not going to do much."

"She probably knows that," Cress said, crossing his arms over his chest. Oshawott shot a stream of water out of his mouth, straight at Pansage. "But she's not counting on it doing and damage. Just hoping that it would keep damage away from Oshawott."

Oshawott allowed the water from his mouth to die. "And interesting flavor we've got here," Cilan said thoughtfully. "Using Oshawott's Water Gun to deflect Pansage's Furry Swipes."

Hilary smiled. "That's just the way we dong things. Okay, Oshawott. Now get them with Tackle!"

"Osha!" Oshawott shouted, throwing himself straight at Pansage. "Wott!"

"Pansage, use Vine Whip!" declared Cilan.

"Oshawott, dodge it and use Tackle!" Hilary shouted.

Doing as it was told, Oshawott jumped out of the way. He pushed off the floor, and slammed into Pansage. The two slid across from each other and stared down each other for a few moments. Pansage let out a slight moan, it fell backwards in a dead faint. "Pansage is unable to battle," Chili declared. "Oshawott wins. The victor is the challenger, Hilary!"

"All right!" Rissa cheered, clapping her hands together furiously.

"Oshawott!" Hilary said, getting her Pokémon's attention.

The little otter turned to see his trainer. Quickly, Hilary snapped a photo of the, currently, pride-filled Oshawott.

* * *

"As promised," Cress said, extending a hand out to Hilary. In the palm of his hand was badge made of three diamonds. Inside each diamond were the colors blue, red, and green. "The Trio Badge."

"Proof that you beat the Striaton Gym," added Chili.

"Thanks," Hilary grinned, accepting the badge.

Her first badge. Six more to go.

* * *

**Authors Note:** I made Cilan more like his anime counterpart, than game. I like him better in the anime. Which is funny, cause I really don't like like Bianca's anime counterpart.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

"Okay, I gotta know," Rissa said, sitting across the table from Hilary. After her Gym battle, the two deiced to get a late lunch in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria. "Why'd you use Oshawott against Pansage? Oshawott was at a type disadvantage. I though you were going to use Lillipup."

Hilary took a bite out of sandwich she bought. Thinking it over, she chewed and swallowed. "Well, Oshawott's my team powerhouse, right now," she explained. "Besides, it wouldn't hurt for Oshawott to build up some resilience against Grass-type."

Rissa sighed. "I'll be back," she said, standing up. "I need to pick up a couple of things before we head off."

"Kay."

Without another word, Rissa stood up and went to Poké Mart half of the Center. With a sigh, Hilary continued eating. They would be headed to Nacrene City, as that was where the next Gym was. From what she heard, the Gym Leader was a woman named Lenora. 'Lenora… Lenora…' Hilary thought to herself. 'Why does that name sound familiar?'

"Oh, good, you're still here," she heard.

Hilary looked up to find Cilan standing beside the table. "Cilan?" the brunette questioned. "What brings you here?"

"I just had a quick question for you," the green haired Gym Leader said, sliding into the sea across from Hilary. "If you don't mind."

"Em… I guess not."

"Great!" an enthusiastic Cilan said. He suddenly leaned forward, with a note pad and pen in hand. "Please, I have to know!"

"Kn-Know what?" Hilary asked nervously.

"You're secret recipe of yours that turns a type disadvantage into a win! The way you came out with that tasteful win despite the disadvantage! I've got to know!"

At this point, the Gym Leader was uncomfortably close to Hilary's face. "Uh… I-I… really just…"

A beam of blue light flashed out of her vest pocket. When the light died down, Oshawott stood on the floor in front of the table. The little otter turned itself around, and rand. "Oshawott!" Hilary shouted. She pushed herself out of the booth.

"Wait up," Cilan called, rushing close behind her.

"Thank you," Rissa smiled.

Having just purchased enough Pokémon medicine that should have last them until they reached Nacrene City; Rissa headed back to the cafeteria to find Hilary. She placed the small bag into the pack she wore around her waist. "Osha-Osha-Osha-Osha!" the small white, and blue otter Pokémon ran pass Rissa and through the sliding doors.

"Oshawott!" Hilary shouted, running up to Rissa, with Cilan close behind her.

"What happened?" Rissa asked.

"Oshawott got out of it's ball," Hilary explained.

The three ran out of the Pokémon Center. People were still going about there business, making it difficult to find something as small as Oshawott. "Great," Hilary hissed. "How are we gonna find Oshawott now?"

Arching her brow, Hilary bit her knuckle. "Don't worry," Cilan reassured. "We'll find it."

But there was so many places Oshawott could have gone. How where they supposed to find it in a place like this? Why did it run off like that? Didn't it know better? "What are you doing here?" a very familiar voice said. "Shouldn't you be with your trainer?"

Standing to the right, outside the Pokémon Center, was Bianca with a smiling Oshawott in her arms. "Bianca," Hilary shouted, running up her.

"Hey, Hilary," Bianca greeted. "So this is your Oshawott?"

"Yeah," the brunette said with a heavy sigh. "This is the second time it got out of it's ball. The first time was with Ren. Oh, Bianca, this is Rissa, and this is Cilan."

"Hi," the blonde greeted. She handed the Oshawott to it's Trainer. "I'm Bianca. Hilary and I grew up together in Nuvema Town."

"Nice to meet you," Rissa smiled.

"Pleasure," said Cilan.

Bianca gasped. "Oh, before I forget," she said. She dug around her bag to find a thin black and dark pink case. "For you, Hilary."

Taking the case, Hilary opened it to fine the inside was lined with a black velvet-like material. There were several indents, one of them was the perfect size for her Trio Badge. "It's a badge case," Cilan explained. "You know, to carry the badges you collect with out losing them."

"Professor Juniper met me in Accumula Town," said Bianca. "She forgot to give them to you an Cheren, so I offered to deliver them for you."

"Oh, thanks," said Hilary.

"Excuse me," a woman with long black hair said. She had on a pair of glasses, and was dressed in a white lab coat. At the moment, her attention was on Bianca and Hilary. "Are you two Hilary and Bianca."

"Yeah, that's us," Bianca nodded.

The woman's face light up. "My name is Fennel," she explained. "I'm a friend of Professor Juniper. I'd hate to ask since we just met, but could you two do a favor for me?"

"What kind of favor?" asked Hilary.

"You see, I study the dreams of Trainers, and Pokémon. I'm in need of Dream Mist from the Dreamyard."

"Dream Mist?" asked Bianca.

"Dream Mist is produced by Muna and Musharna," Cilan explained. "Both Pokémon are usually found in the Dreamyard."

"Exactly," Fennel said with a nod. "I'd go get it myself, but my hands are a little tied up right now."

"Say no more!" Bianca beamed. "We'll take care of it. Won't we, Hilary?"

"Sure," the brunette nodded.

"Thank you!" Fennel clapped her hands together. She reached into the pocket of her lab coat, and pulled out a light blue, capped bottle. "Use this to collect the Dream Mist. My lab is across the street from the Pokémon Center."

The group of teens watched Fennel half-jog up the street, and into a large, white lab. "There's a slight problem, Bianca," Hilary said as soon as Fennel was out of earshot. "We don't know where the Dreamyard is."

"Not to worry," a confident Cilan said. "Remember, I am a native here."

* * *

The Dreamyard was the remain of an abandoned research facility. The building was collapsing over itself over the years of abandonment. Greenery was growing on the walls, and many Pokémon have made this place their home. "What happened here?" Rissa asked.

"The Dreamyard was dedicated to studying the dream's of Pokémon and Trainers, Like Fennel is," Cilan explained. "But, one day there was an explosion in the lab, and it was left abandoned for years. Over time, Pokémon, especially Munna and Musharna have made this place their home."

Now all they needed to do was find either Pokémon. What did they look like, anyway? "Munna! Munna!" a Pokémon cooed.

Playing in the grass, was a small pink Pokémon, with a flower pattern on it's skin. "So, how do we get the Dream Mist?" asked Bianca, with a tilt of the head.

"We found you, Munna!" a gruff voice said.

Two people walked out from behind a stone pillar; around the same area Munna was playing in. This prompted the four teenagers to hide behind a half-wall. The people, a man and a woman, were dressed in strange, blue armor. "Team Plasma?" Hilary quietly questioned.

"Who's Team Plasma?" asked Rissa.

"I don't completely know," Hilary admitted. "But, yesterday in Accumula Town, they were hosting a rally, trying to convince everyone to release their Pokémon. That humans were using Pokémon as slaves."

"I've heard about them," said Cilan. "They've been on the news a bit lately, but I've never heard their name."

"But what would they be doing here?" asked Bianca.

"Come on!" one of the Plasma Grunts shouted, standing at Munna's side. "Make some Dream Mist!"

To the surprise of everyone, the Plasma Grunt drew his leg back, and kicked Munna square in it's small body. Munna let out a moan of pain. Bianca had her eyes covered, unable to see the little Pokémon in pain. "Come on, already!" the female Grunt said. She kicked Munna in the stomach. "We don't have all day!"

Why were they doing this? Didn't that Ghetsis guy say they cared about the well-being of Pokémon? Then why were these Plasma Grunts treating Munna so poorly? At her side, Hilary could feel Rissa beginning to tremble. "Spit out the Dream Mist already!" the male shouted, kicking Munna again.

"Knock it off!" Rissa shouted standing up. She placed on hand on the half-wall, and leaped over it. "Aren't you guy's trainers, too?"

"That's right," the woman said. "We are Pokémon trainers too. But we're fighting for the freedom of Pokémon!"

"And setting Pokémon free means that we win Pokémon battles and take Pokémon by fore!" the man said. Both Team Plasma Grunts took out a Poké ball each. "So, on that note, we're going to rescue your Pokémon from you!"

"Lillipup!" Hilary shouted. She stood up and threw the puppy's Poké ball forward. The tiny, four-legged Pokémon stood beside Rissa. "Two on one is hardly fair."

Rissa smiled while Hilary climbed over the half wall. The pinkette reached into her apron pocket for a Poké ball and enlarged it. "Audino, let's do this!"

"Audino!"

"Tag battle or not," the woman said. "The outcome will remain the same. Purrloin!"

"Patrat!" the man said calling out his Pokémon. "Patrat, use Crunch on Audino!"

"Double Slap, Audino!" Rissa ordered.

Audino's right hand began to glow white. As soon as Patarat was in arms length, the pink Pokémon began to repeatedly slap Patarat in the face. On the last slap, the Plasma Grunt's Pokémon was flung backwards, beside Purloin. "Lillipup," Hilary declared. "Use Tackle!"

"Pursuit Purloin," the female Grunt ordered.

Chanting it's name, Purloin ran up to Lillipup, who doing just about the same thing. With grate force, Purloin slammed into Lillipup, sending the tiny Pokémon flying backwards. "Hand in there, Lillipup!" Bianca cheered. She looked down beside her to find a slightly uneasy Cilan. "What's your problem?"

The Pokémon Connoisseur slash, Gym Leader, laughed weakly. "I-I'm… not that fond of Purloin," he admitted. "Very awful memories, that I'd rather forget."

"Double Slap, again, Audino," Rissa said quickly. "On Purloin!"

"Audi," Audino muttered. Her hand began to glow white again, and it slapped Purloin number of times.

"Patrat," the male shouted. "Tackle!"

"You too, Lillipup," shouted Hilary. "Use Tackle on Patrat!"

The two Pokémon slammed into each other. They launched backwards, glaring at each other. "Purloin," the woman shouted. "Use Furry Swipes on Lillipup!"

"Bite!"

Purloin's started to glow white. Lillipup ran straight at the cat-Pokémon, and clamped it's teeth onto Purloin's right paw. "Patrat," the man declared. "You use Bite!"

"Audino," said Rissa. "Use Attract."

Patrat suddenly stopped in place, suddenly very taken by Audino. "Patrat!" the male Grunt yelled.

"Purloin," the female began. "Use Furry Swipes on Audino."

"Lillipup," Hilary yelled. "Attack Purloin with tackle!"

Lillipup began to chant it's name. His body began to glow gold. He slammed straight into Purloin with a newfound force, that threw the cat far back in a dead face. "Looks like Lillipup just learned Take Down," Rissa whispered to Hilary. "Audino! Finish this up with Pound!"

Audino ran forward, slamming it's fist into Patrat's body. The Team Plasma Grunts recalled their Pokémon. The man turned around, staring straight at the Munna. "Come on!" he shouted, kicking Munna. "Make with the Dream Mist!

"Knock it off!" Rissa shouted.

"Or what?" the woman sneered.

"What are you two doing goofing off?" an angry voice asked.

Suddenly appearing, literally, was a man with long tea-green hair, dressed in a complex robe, and a red monocle over his right eye. An exact duplicate of him suddenly appeared, standing opposite the original. "We, Team Plasma, shall separate Pokémon from foolish Pokémon," said the second Ghetsis.

They both sporadically disappeared, and reappeared behind the two Grunts. "If you cannot fulfill you duties…"

The Grunts exchanged looks. "T-This is Ghetsis when his plan has failed," the man whispered to his partner. "And he is about to issue punishment…"

"At any rate," the woman said in a hushed tone. "Let's hurry and beg for his forgiveness."

The man nodded in agreement and the two took off running out of the Dreamyard. The image of Ghetsis disappeared, and a Musharna hovered up to the fallen Munna. Rissa reached into her back as she rushed up to Munna. "Here Munna," she knelt down beside the Pokémon. She had a blue berry in the palm of her hand. "It'll make you feel better."

Munna took the Oran berry from Rissa's hand, and ate it after slowly chewing. "What was that just now?" Bianca asked, she and Cilan stood up from their spot behind the half way. "That Ghetsis guy just appeared all-over the place!"

"That had to be a dream Musharna produced from it's Dream Mist," Cilan explained. "It was enough to convince those Team Plasma guy's to leave."

"Munna might be soar for a few days," Rissa said standing up. She dusted off her knees and smiled. "But it should be okay."

"Shar," Musharna said, allowing Munna to rest against it. "Shar!"

The pair hovered off, leaving behind a trail of glittery, purple, mist. "That's gotta be the Dream Mist," Hilary said. "Bianca, you still have Fennel's bottle?"

"Yup!" the blonde girl smiled, with the light blue bottle in hand.

Uncapping it, she held it in the middle of the Dream Mist. The Mist filtered into the bottle. "I think I'm going to stick around here for a little while," Bianca said. She placed the bottle back into her back. "I want to catch my own Munna. Once I got that out of the way, I'll take the Dream Mist to Fennel."

"Sure," Hilary said with a nod. "Do you want me to deliver Cheren's badge case? I'll probably run into him on my way to Nacrene City."

"N-No!" Bianca said, shaking her head furiously. "I want to do it myself."

"Hilary," Rissa said. "We probably should stop back at the Pokémon Center to heal up Audino and Lillipup."

"Actually," Cilan said, gaining the attention of the two girls. "There's something I want to talk to the both of you about."

* * *

"You're leaving?" Cress asked. Both of Cilan's brother's were surprised to hear what he had just told them.

"Seriously?" questioned Chili.

"Of course," was Cilan's reply. "I realize that there's more to the paring between Pokémon and Trainer than I originally thought. I just know I can become a better Pokémon Connoisseur by traveling with Hilary and Rissa."

Laughing weakly, Hilary rubbed the back of her neck. She admired Cilan's enthusiasm, but she had to wonder if he took it too far sometimes. "Well, if this is really what you want," Chili said with a slight smile. "We're not gonna to stop you."

"Of course," Cress nodded. "We want you to excel at whatever you want out of life."

"Thank you," said Cilan. "Both of you."

"You just leave the Gym to us," Chili said with a wink.

"And best wishes to you," added Cress.

With one last good-bye from the three brothers, the newly formed trio made their track out of Striaton City. "You sure you wanna do this?" asked Hilary, her hands wrapped around the strap of her backpack. "It's not too late to turn back."

"Turn back?" Cilan repeated. "No way. I'm going through with this."

"Well," Rissa said, her arm's folded behind her back. "Better than traveling alone, huh?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

* * *

**Authors Note:** I completely blame the end of this chapter on the anime for making Cilan so freaking charming and likeable.

I feel like I may have mixed up the Plasma Grunts. But then again... they weren't exactly named.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Hilary lied flat on the ground, her camera held out in front of her. In front of her, a Purrloin was sharing an apple with a Blitzle. The trainer struggled to maintain her smile. _'Don't look my way,' _she chanted to herself. _'Don't look my way…'_

_Click!_

"At this rate, we'll be at Nacrene City at the end of the week," Rissa sighed. She leaned against near by tree.

Hilary got onto her knees, she placed her camera back in it's pouch. Her head turned to Cilan's direction. "You're a Gym Leader," she said. "You must know what the Nacrene City Gym Leader is like."

"Sorry," Cilan said with a shrug. "You have to figure that out for yourself."

"Well, I know the Gym Leader's name, but I don't know what type of Pokémon she uses."

"If you really want my advice, Hilary, I'd catch another Pokémon, at least."

"I probably should…" Hilary sighed to herself. "It probably wouldn't hurt to level up Lillipup either. Hey, how much farther is it anyway?"

"Well, if you stopped taking pictures we should be there by late afternoon. But at the rate we're going it'll be well into the night."

Hilary suddenly shot onto her feet, and slid her camera into it's pouch. "Well, what are we waiting for, let's get going!" she said quickly.

The brunette broke out into a run, confusing Rissa and Cilan. "You think it was something I said?" he asked her.

"Beats me," Rissa shrugged.

'_I-hate-Woobat-I-hate-Woobat-I-hate-Woobat!' _Hilary mentally whined.

In her blind panic she failed to see someone in the path in front of her. Inevitably, she collided into the person, and the they both fell forward. The person groaned, slowly, he pulled himself out from under Hilary. "What's part of look both- Hilary?" the person said.

Rubbing her forehead, Hilary looked up to find the familiar face of Cheren. "Oh," she smiled. "Nice running into you Ren. I take it you got your Trio Badge too?"

"Hilary!" Rissa shouted from behind her.

Both Rissa and Cilan finally caught up with her. "A friend of yours?" asked Cilan. He snapped his fingers. "Oh! You're the challenger who stopped at the Gym shortly before Hilary. Cheren, right?"

"You're traveling with one of the Striaton City Gym Leaders?" Cheren asked his childhood friend.

"Yep," nodded Hilary.

"How'd that happen."

"I don't know."

"So, you're a friend of Hilary's," Rissa greeted. "We met Bianca shortly before we left Striaton City. I'm Rissa Joy."

"Outta the way!" a new voice shouted.

A young man and woman ran past the group, dressed in the same get-up as the Team Plasma grunts. "What was that about?" Cheren thought out loud.

"Cheren! Hilary!" Bianca shouted. She ran up to the group, holding the hand of a little girl. The girl looked like she had been crying.

"Bianca," Cilan said, surprised to see her. "What's going on?"

"Those people," the blonde girl began. "They took this little girl's Pokémon."

"You think it was Team Plasma?" asked Rissa. "I wouldn't say they were above it after what they did to that Munna."

"Well, they were in the same uniform," said Cilan.

"Hilary and I will find them," said Cheren. "You guy's stay here in case anymore come along."

"Be careful," said Bianca.

* * *

After Cheren asked someone further down the road, they found that the Plasma grunts went into Wellspring Cave. The Plasma grunts, from the sounds of it took a wrong turn, and found themselves someplace they didn't intend on. "Hey!" Cheren said firmly as soon as they entered the cave. The grunts looked over their shoulders. "We're here for that Pokémon you stole from a little girl."

The grunt in front of Hilary placed a hand on his hip. "That child cannot use a Pokémon to it's full potential," he said. "Doesn't that make the Pokémon sad?"

"And what about those who just want to be with their trainer?" Hilary asked in response.

"What would a couple of kids understand," said the second grunt. "You can either hand over your Pokémon now, or we'll take them by force! Patrat!"

The first grunt tossed his own Poké ball into the air, sending out his own Patrat. Cheren and Hilary quickly exchanged glances before sending out their own Pokémon, Snivy, and Lillipup respectively. "Snivy, use Vine Whip!" Cheren ordered.

"Bite Lillipup!"

A couple of vine-like tentacles emerged from Snivy's body. The vines slapped themselves across the Patrat across from it. Lillipup ran up to the Patrat cross from it, chanting it's name. Opening it's mouth, Lillipup clamped it's jaw over Patrat.

"Unlock a Pokémon's true potential!" shouted the first grunt. "Patrat, use Bite!"

"You two Patrat!" shouted the second grunt.

"Dodge it!" the young trainers shouted.

"Lillipup, use Tackle!" shouted Hilary.

"Snivy," Cheren began. "Use Vine Whip again!"

The Pokémon obeyed. Snivy whipped it's opposing Patrat with it's vines. Lillipup, slammed into it's opposing Patrat. The Patrat opposing Snivy was throw against the cave wall, falling into a dead faint. "Patrat," the grunt declared. "Attack Snivy with Bite!"

"Lillipup, you finish this up with Bite!"

Patrat darted up to Snivy, but was thrown off course when Lillipup slammed itself into Patrat. The puppy Pokémon's teeth sank into it's opponent. When the pair landed, Patrat's looked terribly tired and dizzy. The grunts returned their Pokémon, looking at the trainers with distain. "In order to liberate Pokémon, from foolish trainers," the grunt began. "We will take their Pokémon!"

"Whatever," Cheren said, returning Snivy. "What a waist of time. What reason could possibly justify stealing Pokémon?"

"Pokémon Trainers, like you, make Pokémon suffer," said the second grunt.

"What do you mean Trainers make Pokémon suffer?" Cheren asked, clearly offended by the comment. "I don't get that at all!"

"We'll give you back the Pokémon," said the first grunt. "But be aware of how much this Pokémon suffers from being with people!"

He tossed the Poké ball to Hilary. "Someday you will understand with clarity."

"Trainers bring out Pokémon's strength," Cheren said as he and Hilary left Wellsping Cave. "They need each other in order to grow. I don't understand how that makes them suffer!"

"They're not really thinking about what Pokémon want," said Hilary. "What about what they want?"

Stopping in place Hilary looked over her shoulder, back at Wellspring Cave. She could see the Plasma grunts running out of the cave, and down the road. Hilary didn't know what they were planning, but they talked as thou they were the advocates for Pokémon. _'You can't advocate what you don't understand,' _she thought with a sigh.

* * *

"I'm glad that girl got her partner back," said Rissa.

After Cheren and Hilary left the cave, Cheren took off for Nacrene City, since Hilary had the girls Pokémon. Upon returning the girl's partner, Bianca decided to escort her back to the daycare she met her at. Now, the trio were back on their path to Hilary's next Gym battle.

"That's the second time in two day's we've run into Team Plasma," Cilan noted.

"Three times in three days," Hilary corrected. "I saw their speech in Accumula Town. And Rissa's Emolga was released because of that."

"I don't get it though," Rissa sighed. "What do they hope to accomplish by liberating Pokémon? Not only do Trainers need them, but there are countless jobs that require the help of Pokémon."

"I don't know and I don't care," Hilary crossed her arms over her chest. "Eventually people are going to see threw their BS."

An audible grumble was heard from Hilary's stomach. She stopped in place, turning red from embarrassment. "Uh…" Hilary rubbed the back of her neck. "How much farther until Nacrene City…?"

"We should be there any minute now," Cilan smirked.

* * *

**Authors Note:** Eh... a part of the reason this took so long was because I couldn't get a visit at the daycare to work. So I cut it.


End file.
